Retractable writing instrument



Oct. 14, 1958 f SEARS R 2,855,896

RETRACTABLE WRITING INSTRUMENT Original Filed June 9, 1949 Maul 15 .42

INVENTOR.

Haezzr M 55495 ArraeA/zxs.

United States RETRACTABLE WRlTlN G INSTRUMENT Hartley M. Sears, Pasadena, Calif., assignor to Hartley genpompany, Pasadena, Calif., a corporation of Caliorma 4 flaims. (Cl. 120-42.!)3)

This invention relates to a Writing instrument provided with a retractable point and is particularly directed to a ball point type of writing instrument provided with gravity-actuated means whereby the writing point is retracted into the barrel whenever the device is put away or is not held in a Writing position. A

Most writing instruments, such as fountain pens and the like, are provided with a separate cap which covers the writing point when the pen is not in use. The presence of these removable caps not only adds to the cost of the pen but in addition such capsare a source of annoyance and delay in the placement of the writing instrument in writing condition. Very often when a fountain pen provided with the usual cap is carried in the pocket of a garment by having the cap clipped onto the edge of the pocket, the writing instrument itself becomes loosened and separated from the cap falling into the recess of the pocket and staining the garment by contact of the point with the fabric.

It is appreciated that heretofore many writing instruments, including fountain pens and' pencils, have been provided with retractable points, but in all prior constructions of this type known to me the point was either moved into operative or inoperative position by means of manually actuatable levers or knobs or the writing point was moved into writing position manually and springs and latches were employed for the purpose of retracting the point.

The construction forming the subject matter of the present invention eliminates springs, manually actuatable knobs, detents, etc., and instead relates to a retractable point writing instrument which is gravity-actuated. In other words, the instrument of the present invention, when placed in a writing position (with the writing part of the barrel directed downwardly), will cause the writing head or point of the instrument to protrude and be available for writing purposes. When the instrument is upturned so that the writing point or writing port of the barrel is directed upwardly, the writing point automatically retracts into the barrel.

Although the construction may be employed with fountain pens employing liquid inks, it is particularly applicable to writing instruments employing a freely rotatable ball point supplied with a relatively viscous writing fluid.

It is an object of the present invention therefore to disclose and provide a simple, inexpensive and positively acting retractable point writing instrument which is gravity-actuated.

A further object of the invention is to disclose and provide a gravity-actuated retractable point writing instrument containing a tubular cartridge for writing fluid, said cartridge being connected to a conical writing head carrying a freely rotatable ball.

A still further object of the invention is to disclose and provide a writing instrument which does not employ a removable cap and which is free from springs, knobs, detents and other elements for placing the writing point atet ice

either in extended writing position or in retracted and covered position.

These and other objects, uses and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of exemplary forms embodying the inventive concepts hereof. In order to facilitate understanding reference will be had to the appended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in longitudinal section, of a writing instrument in inverted, retracted position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in longitudinal section, of the writing instrument in writing position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one form of weighted member used in actuating the cartridge.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken along the plane IV--IV in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through a modified form of device;

As previously indicated, the invention is particularly applicable to ball point writing instruments which contain a tubular cartridge 1 for writing fluid, such cartridge being connected at one end to a conical writing head 2 carrying a freely rotatable ball 3 fed with writing fluid contained in the cartridge. The end 4 of the cartridge removed from writing head 2 may be open and preferably the edges of the tube are slightly rounded. The tube may contain a loose float in contact with the surface of the body of writing fluid within the cartridge for the purpose of preventing excessively rapid evaporation of the The writing instrument itself comprises an outer barrel which may be made of any suitable material, lengthor configuration, said barrel being provided with a cartridge chamber 10 leading to a writing port 11 at one end of the barrel. The inner surfaces 12 of the chamber 10 adjacent the port 11 are preferably inwardly inclined to form a seat for the conical writing head when the latter is in writing position. It is to be understood that the barrel may be made of sections suitably cemented, telescoped, threaded or otherwise connected. In the example illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the barrel is provided with a recess 13 opposite the writing port 11, said recess being of smaller cross-sectional area than the cartridge chamber 10. A shoulder 14 exists between the recess and the chamber, said shoulder being preferably slightly inclined toward the recess and away from the writing port 11. Moreover, it may be noted that the shoulder 14 is spaced from the writing port 11 a sufficient distance so as to engage the end 4 of the cartridge when the writing head thereof is in writing position in the port 11.

. it may also be noted that the recess 13 is unsymmetrical in cross-section (since it has a flat side wall) and 'is capable of slidably receiving the end portion of the cartridge.

A weighted slug or member 15 is slidably but nonrotatably positioned in the recess 13. The weighted slug is shorter than the recess and may be axially bored as indicated at 16. The weighted member 15 is provided with an extension 17 eccentrically displaced with respect to the axis of the weighted member and recess and opposite the fiat side of the member. Asbest shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the exemplary member is provided with an extension in the form of a tongue having a face 18, the end of the extension being slightly rounded.

It may also be noted that the barrel 5 carries a clip 20 connected as at 21 to the barrel near the writing port 11, the clasping end of the clip being directed away from the writing port.

When this device is in inverted position (with the writing port directedupwardly), the weighted member Patented Oct. 14-, 1958 15 is at the bottom of the recess 13 and the open end 4 of the cartridge 1 extends into the recess so that the conical writing head 2 is retracted within the barrel 5 and the writing port 11 is open. Since the clip 20 is carried near the writing port-this is the normal position of the device when it is not in use. When, however, the device is turned so as to direct the writing port 11 downwardly, the cartridge 1 will fall and seat itself upon the inclined conical walls 12 leading to the writing port. The weighted member 15 also drops in the recess 13 and the rounded end of extension 17 contacts the end 4 of the cartridge causing the cartridge 1 to become slightly inclined within the barrel by the entry of tongue 17 between thewall' of the chamber and the cartridge, a portion of the edge of the cartridge 1 thus extending beneath the shoulder 14.

The instrument is now in writing position and it will be'observed that upwardthrust against the ball 3 is transmitted through the head 2 and cartridge 1 against the shoulder 14; The instrument can therefore be used for writing at any pressure and the writing point or ball will not be retracted. As soon as the device is inverted again, the weighted member 15 will slide into the bottom of the recess and will be followed by the cartridge.

As previously indicated, the recess 13 may be nonsymmetric'al or partly circular, whereas the cartridge chamber may be circular in cross-section. The recess should be sufiiciently large to slidably receive the end of the cartridge when the instrument is in retracted or inoperative position.

The modfication illustrated in Fig. 5 distinguishes from that previously described in that the recess 23 is symmetrical and concentric with respect to the main cartridge chamber 10; asa result the shoulder 24 completely surrounds the recess 23. The weighted member is slidable and rotatable in'the recess and is provided with an extension 17 in the form of a pin having a rounded end, this pin being eccentrically positioned with respect to the axis of recess 23 and gravity member 15'. Since the ends of the tubular cartridge 1 are rounded, the extension 17 is capable of entering the open end of the cartridge 1 and by reason of the eccentricity of such extension, the cartridge is shifted laterally so as to place the end of the cartridge in abutting relationship to the shoulder 24 when in writing position. When the device illustrated in Fig. 5 is inverted so as to direct the writing port 11 upwardly, the weighted member 15 drops to the bottom of the recess 23 and is followed by a portion of the cartridge 1 causing retraction of the conical writing head 2.

Other variations of the structure will readily occur to those skilled in the art. As pointed out hereinabove, the recess may be concentric or eccentric with respect to the chamber; the weighted member may be rotatably or non-rotatably slidable in the recess and may be provided with a pin or a tongue. The pin may be spaced from the side walls of the recess or the tongue may be contiguous to the side wall. An eccentrically position, non-symmetrical recess may be used with a weighted member having a pin (eccentrically extending therefrom) opposite the shoulder between the recess and chamber. This application is a division of Serial No. 97,957, filed June 9, 1949.

All changes and modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

I claim:

1. A gravity-actuated retractable point writing instrument comprising, in combination: a smooth walled tubular cartridge of uniform diameter for writing fluid, one end of said cartridge being open and the other end connected to a conical writing head; an outer barrel provided with a writing port and a cartridge chamber in communication therewith, the inner surface of the chamber adjacent the port being arranged to form a seat for the writing head when in Writing position; said chamber being of lesser length than said cartridge; a recess in the barrel opposite said writing port, said. recess being of smaller cross-sectional area than the cartridge chamber but adapted to selectively and slidably receive the open end of the tubular cartridge; a shoulder between the chamber and the recess, said shoulder being spaced from the writing port to abut and engage the end of the cartridge when the writing head thereof is in writing position in the port; and a weighted member slidably positioned in the recess and provided with an extension directed toward the cartridge chamber and eccentrically displaced with respect to the axis of the member and recess, said extension being in the form of a tongue arranged to cooperatively engage the open end of the cartridge to impart lateral movement to the tubular cartridge into engagement of the end of said cartridge with the said shoulder to thereby hold the writing head in writing position upon the seat when the writing port is down wardly directed, said writing head becoming unseated and the open end of the tubular cartridge being slidably received in the recess when the writing port is upwardly directed.

2. A gravity-actuated, retractable point writing instrument comprising: a tubular cartridge for writing fluid, said cartridge having one open end, the other end being connected to a conical writing head carrying a freely rotatable ball; an outer barrel provided with a writing port and a cartridge chamber in communication therewith, the inner surfaces of the chamber adjacent the port being adapted to form a seat for the writing head when in writing position; a recess in the barrel opposite said writing port, said recess being of smaller cross-see tional area than the cartridge chamber but adapted to selectively receive the open end of the tubular cartridge; a shoulder between the recess and the chamber, said shoulder being spaced from the writing port to engage the end of the cartridge when the writing head thereof is in writing position in the port, said shoulder being inclined towards the recess; and a weighted member slidably positioned in the recess and provided with an extension in the form. of a tongue, eccentrically displaced with respect to the axis of the member and recess to cooperatively engage the open end of the tubular cartridge in the chamber and laterally move said end into engagement with said shoulder when the writing port is downwardly directed and the writing head is in said port, said weighted member and extension being slidable into said recess when the writing port is upwardly directed.

3. A gravity-actuated, retractable point writing instrument comprising: a tubular cartridge for writing fiuid, said cartridge having one open end, the other end being connected to a conical writing head carrying a freely rotatable ball; an outer barrel provided with a writing port and a cartridge chamber in communication therewith, the inner surfaces of the chamber adjacent the port being adapted to form a seat for the writing head when in writing position; a recess of non-symmetrical cross section in the barrel opposite said writing port, the axis of said recess being eccentric with respect to the axis of the chamber, said recess being of smaller cross-sectional area than the cartridge chamber but adapted to selectively receive the open end of the tubular cartridge; a shoulder between the recess and the chamber, said shoulder incompletely surrounding the recess and being spaced from the writing port to engage the end of the cartridge when the writing head thereof is in writing position in the port, said shoulder being inclined towards the recess; and a weighted member of non-symmetrical cross section slidably but non-rotatably positioned in the recess and provided with an extension in the form of a tongue eccentrically displaced with respect to the axis of the member and recess to cooperatively engage the end of the tubular cartridge in the chamber and laterally move said end into engagement with said shoulder when the writing port is downwardly directed and the writing head is in said port, said weighted member and extension being slidable into said recess when the writing port is upwardly directed.

4. A gravity-actuated, retractable point writing instrument comprising: a tubular cartridge for writing fluid, said cartridge having one open end, the other end being connected to a conical writing head carrying a freely rotatable ball; an outer barrel provided with a writing port and a cartridge chamber in communication therewith, the inner surfaces of the chamber adjacent the port being adapted to form a seat for the writing head when in writing position; a recess in the barrel opposite said writing port, the axis of said recess being eccentric with respect to the axis of the chamber, said recess being of smaller cross-sectional area than the cartridge chamber but adapted to selectively receive the open end of the tubular cartridge; a shoulder between the recess and the chamber, said shoulder incompletely surrounding the recess and being spaced from the writing port to engage the end of the cartridge when the writing head thereof is in writing position in the port, said shoulder being inclined toward the recess; and a weighted member slidably and non-rotatably positioned in the recess and provided with an ex tension in the form of a tongue, eccentrically displaced with respect to the axis of the member and recess, said tongue extension being diametrically opposite said shoulder and arranged to-cooperatively engage the open end of the tubular cartridge in the chamber and laterally move said end into engagement with said shoulder when the writing port is downwardly directed and the writing head is in said port, said weighted member and extension being slidable into said recess when the writing port is upwardly directed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,584,569 Frentzel Feb. 5, 1952 2,587,935 Wallace Mar. 4, 1952 2,693,170 Sears Nov. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,017 Great Britain of 1890 128,697 Australia Ian. 10, 1946 

